Bruises
by six6VI
Summary: Tahno's voice just won't leave Korra alone. She's confused and running away from the question for fear that the answer'll be yes. Rated M for Adult Situations and other explicit content.
1. Denial

******(A/N: Please bear with me guys because I know that this is very short for the first chapter, but as the more chapters I write, the longer they'll get, or so I hope! Reviews are more than important to me so please send loads of them and I just hope you enjoy what I have so far.)**

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"_I could give you some private lessons …" _

His words seemed to be ricocheting off the walls of her skull and pounded in her ears.

Korra slammed her foot against her dresser. She hated his cockiness with a white hot passion. "What could that prick possibly teach me that I don't already know? I'm the Avatar, dammit." She muttered with definite annoyance. With a final kick to her dresser, she walked over to the other side of her room and plopped down on her bed. If she didn't calm down soon, her dresser would be assaulted into a bundle of toothpicks.

Everything about that sly bat, Tahno, gave her chills that seemed to pierce and shake her inner chakras. Time and time again she blamed the feeling on his cold, frostbitten aura, but at times like these, she couldn't help but wonder if she …

"_Hah, no. There's no way I find him attractive ... right?" _She'd been thinking this for a while now. Did she like Tahno?

Korra quickly changed the subject by taking her hair out of the three signature ponytails and begun to count flying bison. Sleeping away her worries was something she was good at. Besides, she needed all the rest she could get if she wanted to find that bastard, Amon. But sleep didn't seem to be coming any time soon, for one of her midnight "needs" was making it very difficult to do so.

She slowed her breathing and strained her ears to hear if anyone was still up. Even though it was late at night and she knew everyone in the Air Temple should be sound asleep by now, her paranoia wouldn't subside.

When all she could hear were the crickets from outside her window and her very own shallow breath, she sighed with relief and gave in to the pure bliss that was bound to come.

The moment she had relaxed and closed her eyes, her hands sprang to life. Slender fingers started to work their way down her toned body. With her left hand lingering over her breasts, she felt that her nipples had become erect for they were pushing through the cotton of her shirt. She took turns between massaging the soft orbs and pinching her areolas to the point where she thought she could've drawn blood.

A ball of want was starting to pool around in her lower abdomen. With her other hand, she traced the contours of her tight body, slowly passing down her prominent muscles. She shifted her lower body so that her legs were spread apart, her hand still gliding down until she had reached her cunt, which happened to be slick with pure need.

Her fingers were placed at her entrance and she slid them up to her nub, slowly moving them in a circular motion. Her headed started to loll to the side as she was feverishly quickening her pace. She was feeling hot all over, inside and out, and so desperately wished that Mako was here to help her out like he usually did. But, since he was sound asleep, she had only her fingers to dive into the depth of her tight walls. So, that's exactly what she intended to do.

Her fingers stopped the teasing on her sore nub, which was erect from all of the stimulation it had endured, and they found their way to her entrance once again. She slid her middle and index finger in with a slow pace, that seemed to drive her mad. She was so sensitive from the abuse that her clit underwent , that just the 2 fingers alone made her body rock, nearly sending her over the edge.

Whimpers were passing through her lips and she all but chewed them off so she wouldn't scream as her fingers worked their magic.

At last, she gave up with two fingers and shoved in three. She needed more. Much, much more. Her hips were bucking against her fingers now and her back had arched into something beautiful. The whimpers turned into animalistic cries, and with a final thrust into herself, her climax came upon her.

She cried out one last time, her head too far gone in the state of her ecstasy to make out exactly what she had said. She was still grasping onto her breasts with her left hand as her waves of orgasms hit her repeatedly, but instead of slowly massaging the soft twins, she had switched to digging and scratching. She'd have bruises on her flesh for days, but of course, she didn't mind in the least. The more bruises, the better.

Her breathing was ragged, her hair a knotted mess, and her body was coated with a sheen of sweat.

She sat up and strode over to the body-length mirror that Asami had given her and took a nice, long look at herself. The way the moonlight was coming through the window made it seems like shadows were dancing amongst her in mysterious patterns.

She didn't look like herself. She looked like an erotic goddess. The sweat shone like diamonds that bounced off of her skin, and her hair were long waves that hung over her breasts. Korra had found this image of her to be beyond sexy.

She snorted at how feminine she had been acting and went to the wash basin to cool her face. Then, she jumped back into her bed eager to feel the end of her euphoria, which was washing away faster than she'd have liked, when a thought struck her like an explosive.

She lay in her bed paralyzed in complete and total shock. Her eye's practically bugging out of her head.

"No … No, no no! I can't … shit." She whispered in the tiniest of voices.

When she was replaying gorgeous act that had taken place on her bed mere moments ago, she made out what her last cry of sheer pleasure was.

She didn't want to believe it, but she had to face the facts sooner or later.

She had screamed out Tahno's name.


	2. Uhvatar

**(A/N: I know, I know, there is no smut in this chapter and it's also as short as the last one, but in the next chapter I will definitely have some action going on, so it should make up for it! :3 Oh, and please send reviews! I can't make you guys happy if you don't tell me what you want. Enjoy)**

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Korra awoke from her bed as the sun shone it's rays through the window. She sat up and raised her arms above her head, stretching and feeling great pleasure as her spine popped back into place. She headed over to the bathroom and turned the shower on.

After she stripped out of her clothing, she strode into the shower. Feeling the warm water cascade down her body made her feel at peace.

Water was her home. Her breath. Her very being.

As she lathered up the soap in her hands and brought them against her very sore breasts, she remembered last night more vividly than she'd liked. Mostly because the wetness in between her legs had returned and she remembered who's named she had called out …

"_Maybe it's just a coincidence. I mean, I was thinking about him before, so maybe he just slipped back in to my head .. Yeah, there is no way I can lie myself out of this. I like Tahno." _She shuddered at the thought of those last three words.

She moved her lathered hands down towards the rest of her body. Scrubbing down her flat stomach, and past her hips, till she got to her sacred place. She slid down the wall of the shower till she was sitting on it's cold, marble floor. She silently dove her fingers into her entrance.

She didn't have the time to tantalize her clit because Mako would be up there in 10 minutes or so to announce that breakfast was ready.

Mako and her had a horrible relationship. They slept around together, even though he was still seeing Asami and the guilt was starting to be a little unbearable. She liked Asami and she couldn't stand doing this to her. Plus, to add on to the guilt, she was adapting feelings for Tahno. They weren't just sexual feelings either. She felt something deeper for him. It was as if a magnet was in her that kept drawing her closer, and closer to him.

It wasn't like that with Mako. Mako was just sex. Nothing more.

She fingered herself till her legs started to shake from the raw action. Her climax came and her body jerked as her juices spilled out of her.

"_Shit. Perfect timing." _She thought, for Mako had just walked into her room.

"Korra? Korra, breakfast is ready." He shouted to her from the doorway.

She turned the faucets off and wrapped herself in her towel, still standing in the shower. She didn't want Mako to see her naked. She didn't want him to get the wrong idea.

"Alright. Tell everybody I'll be down in a few minutes and to save me some extra bacon." She snorted.

She heard the door close and knew it was safe to get out, but oh had she been wrong. Mako was right in front of her and leaned into kiss her, slipping his tongue into her mouth and getting rid of the towel.

"Mako .. Mako stop.." She gasped, her voice barely audible.

"C'mon Korra," he slid a finger down to her cunt and spread her lips, "I can feel that you're already wet."

"Mako, I said fucking stop! Don't be a dick." She shoved him down to the ground, and wrapped herself in her towel again.

"What the hell, Korra!" He shouted as he got up from the floor.

"When I say no, you fucking listen! Just get out." She bellowed at him. She waved her hand to point towards the door with much more force than she had realized because he ended up flying backwards… she had _air bended _him towards the door.

As amazing how that had felt. How the air seemed to rush right through her veins, she was just too upset with Mako to care.

He looked startled and left without saying another word.

When the door had closed, she rushed to put on her usual southern water tribe get up and went down to breakfast.

* * *

Breakfast was awkward. Really, really awkward.

She was still mad when she went to sit down and everybody could feel her energy … Also, they had heard her shout at Mako from her room.

"So, what was all that ruckus about, Korra?" Tenzin asked warily.

Everybody was staring at her, waiting for her reply. Everybody except Mako.

"I'm just feeling grumpy okay? I told Mako that I didn't want to go down to breakfast but he kept insisting that I go. That's why I shouted at him to leave .. Oh, yeah! Tenzin, you're not gonna believe me but I air bended!"

Tenzin's face was torn between worry and pride. It was a really interesting face, if you thought about it.

"Oh, really? That is amazing, Korra!" Tenzin said with much praise.

"It's not so amazing when it's done on you. She nearly made me crash into the door." Mako said in an uptight yet casual voice.

Korra glared at him. A glare which read _"Maybe if you would have listened, I wouldn't have had to do it." _

He retreated to staring back at his food and was silent through the rest of breakfast.

* * *

Tenzin was giving her some tips on how anger was a good source to begin with but eventually she'd have to learn to use all of her emotions to air bend.

"Thanks Tenzin. I really appreciate you with giving me all of this advice." She said with irritation. She know he was only trying to help but he was lecturing her for over an hour and she had a lot of plans to do today.

If he had noticed her attitude, he didn't show any sign of it and went off towards the Air Temple.

Korra took in a big breath and thought about all of the things she had to do today.

"I've got Meditation in half an hour, then I'm pretty sure that I've got to clean after the sky bison but I'll just tell Meelo that if he does it for me, I'll get Asami to talk to him." She told herself with a chuckle.

Meelo was always trying to talk to Asami but she was never in the house much. She'd been working on how the equalists made their weaponry. It was tricky business that took a lot of brains and knowledge on mechanics to work with, which was perfect for her.

"_After Meditation, I've got to see Tahno." _And with that final agonizing thought, she walked off to her air bending lessons.

* * *

Lesson's didn't go very well. No mater how many times she thought about what Mako had done, she couldn't bring the amount of rage she had then to air bend. Couldn't even make a slight breeze.

She stormed off, leaving the Air Temple to go to Narook's Seaweed Noodlery. Whenever she got frustrated, she ordered the Noodlery's famous Extreme Orochon ramen with soy broth. Spicy food somehow calmed her down. Maybe because she had to focus all of her pain, emotionally and physically, on the scalding pain that was going through her mouth. Plus, didn't everyone feel better after having a full stomach?

She had just polished off her ramen and two servings of pork dumplings when she heard his voice from behind. He was daringly close.

"Hello, _Uh-vatar." _The cocky voice stated_. _

She felt the smug smirk spread across his lips before she had even turned around.


	3. Jasmine

Korra gulped the remaining ramen that was in her mouth with ease as she turned to face him.

"What do you want, Tahno?" She muttered.

He helped himself to the chair across from the table she sat at, eyeing the amount of bowls on it.

"Wow, are they starving you at the Air Temple or something?"

Her cheeks turned a dark shade of crimson. His winning smirk cracked on his lips once more, causing her to shift uncomfortably in her seat.

He had noticed her change of attitude and decided to try and push her buttons. How far would he go before he'd bite off more than he could chew?

"So," he started off while leaning over the table, "have you thought about those private lessons, my dearest _Uh-vatar_?" The table had seemed too small now with him hunched over it and his face showed utter boredom. She wondered how she could perk up his interest.

"To be honest, I _have_ been thinking about them." It was her turn to lean over the table now, making the distance between their faces only inches apart.

She noticed that his eyes had roamed down her blouse so she leaned over even more, giving him a better view. With that move, his eyes found hers again and he bit his bottom lip.

"What do you say we get out of her? I'll pay the bill for you." His voice was so hypnotic for she had almost said yes.

"Wait, what's the catch?" She asked curiously. She wanted to go with him. She wanted to know what was in store. But she always didn't want to do anything stupid.

"There is no catch. I'm pretty sure that you and I both know that." He winked at her and went the store owner to pay Korra's bill.

She stood up and started to walk towards Tahno, her pace unbearably slow.

"_Oh my spirits, is this really happening?" _Her mind was racing a mile a minute.

She was so lost in her head, that she didn't realize that she had stopped walking and that Tahno was in front of her with a weird expression plastered on his face. Could it have been … _worry_?

She snapped back to earth, and blinked, trying to be sure that it was worry. But, as soon as she had realized the expression, it vanished back into it usual arrogant one.

"What's up with you, _Uh-vatar_? You're not having second thoughts now, are you?"He stated with a touch of disappointment.

Korra walked up to him and struck a finger across his cheek bone, whispering "Wouldn't even dream of it, _pretty boy_."

Tahno grasped her wrist and tugged on it lightly towards the door.

"Then let's find a place that's a little bit roomier now, shall we?" His eyes were dark as he spoke and the words sent chills throughout her body. Chills that made her body shake with need.

* * *

They were walking through the square when Tahno had stopped her.

"Would you rather go back to your house or would you like to head up to mine?" The words came out like a song ringing in her ears.

"Yours!" She all but yelled at him. There's no way she'd be able to do this at the Air Temple. Just the thought of it brought blush upon her cheeks once more.

Tahno chuckled at how nervous she was acting and slipped his arm around her waist, careful to keep his hand from slipping down her bum. Even though he knew she wanted him, he was still a gentlemen … Well, when he wanted to be.

Korra's heart stilled as his arm wrapped around her but soon relaxed. She didn't know why, but even though Tahno could be a real jerk, she couldn't help but want to lean into his side.

As she was thinking this, she didn't realize that she had acted subconsciously on it.

They had looked like a couple walking home from after a date.

And that's when Mako showed up.

He stood in front of them, mouth agape. Eye's darting from Korra to Tahno.

"Excuse me, Mako," she said towards him coldy "but could you please get out of our way? Don't you know that it's rude to just run in front of people?"

He was about to say something when Tahno nudged Korra's side with his hand, and they continued walking. Tahno didn't want any drama ruining his night.

Korra turned her head to look over hear shoulder and saw flames in Mako's eyes.

"_Ooo, he's so pissed, hah." _

Tahno seemed to have read her mind.

"So, your friend back there looked really upset. I hope you're not using me to make him jealous." His face was stern. Not even a tinge of sarcasm was sketched on his face.

Korra had never seen Tahno like this. She wasn't even aware that he could be serious.

"I-I was mad at him earlier and he thinks he owns me even though he's got Asami. But to answer your question, I'm not using you to make him jealous. I'm using you for my own purposes." She choked out.

Why was she stuttering? Why wasn't she acting like her self? Why did his presence change her into some shy, meek little girl with no backbone whatsoever?

* * *

They arrived to his house after about an hour of walking.

She was shocked to realize that he didn't live in the city. Everything about him screamed Chanel and Dior but instead he lived in a little cottage off in the country.

He took off her coat and it's matching pelt, hanging it up on a hook that was in the doorway.

Korra started exploring his home.

It wasn't modern, but it certainly wasn't as old fashioned as the Air Temple. It had a good balance of the two. She liked it.

There were no pictures of family on the walls. In fact, she hadn't realized that they were completely bare. She turned around to face him and saw that he was sitting on the tan leather loveseat. He seemed to be rather amused.

"I'm sorry that my house isn't much to look at. I like to keep things simple." He said with ease as he shrugged his shoulders.

"_Seriously, is he a mind reader or something?" _

She shook her head.

"No, I actually really like it. I thought it would be decked out with all of the most recent stuff but, this simplicity is great." She started to walk towards him.

She was only a foot away when she tripped over his seaweed green rug and toppled on top of him.

Her cheeks burned 20 shades of crimson as she scrambled to get off of his lap, pushing herself to the farthest end of the loveseat.

He stifled a laugh and pulled her over to him.

"I never knew the _Uh-vatar _was so clumsy." He said while playing with her hair.

"May I?" He was asking her if he could take out her ponytails.

"Uh sure." She was hesitant. Why was he treating her like a child? With his soft voice, and tentative hands.

He pulled the side ponytails out first and then the main one. He pulled a lock of her hair towards his face and took in a deep breathe.

Korra was staring at him in horror. Why was he smelling her hair? Did she smell bad?

"..Jasmine. You have such nice hair. Why do you always put it up?" He continued to mindlessly play with her hair.

"It's just something I've always done. Plus, long hair just get's in the way of a lot of things." She stated.

He dropped her hair and leaned in close, his face right next to hers.

"I can show you some things that long hair doesn't get in the way of." His breath was hot on her ear and she leaned in closer to him.

He grasped her chin between his thumb and index finger, and pulled her face towards his.

"_Oh, fuck this." _

She was done with all of the teasing.

Korra slid onto his lap, locked her arms around his neck, and assaulted his lips with hers. His tongue harshly parted her lips and found hers. Their lips seemed inseparable to her, so when Tahno broke the heated kiss she was shocked.

"Someone's impatient." He said with a smirk.

He pushed her down onto the loveseat and began to straddle her.

His lips were upon hers again for a hot second but then his kisses started to trail down to her collar bone. He made his way down to her hips in no time.

She was shivering with excitement, her lower body squirming with anticipation.

"Settle down." He cooed. He spoke to her as if she were some wild animal now.

He slipped her out of her water tribe boots and sweats in one go. Then, he brought his face up to hers again.

His hands slid up her shirt and pulled it off abruptly. He noticed the bruises on her breasts after the clothing was removed, and he eyed her.

"I-I .. can be a little rough on myself." She admitted.

"You did these? My, my. I'll be sure to give you some more." his voice chimed as his mouth clamped down onto one of her nipples.

Korra squealed in satisfaction and ran her hands through Tahno's hair. Since the bruises were still fresh, her breasts were very sensitive.

Tahno was multitalented. As he was sucking on her nipple, his left hand went to grasp onto her left globe and his right hand slid down to her clit, which he felt was erect through her cotton panties. He was rubbing it in a perfect circular motion with his middle finger, but since he had not taken off her bottoms, the stimulation wasn't enough.

Korra bucked herself against his fingers, whining for more, but he drew them away.

"Now, now." His face finally free of her chest, "You'll get what you want soon."

He moved down her body, leaving kisses against her inner thighs. The kisses were white hot to Korra and they sent a heat of flames down to her core.

He removed her panties and smiled at how wet she was. He wasted no time at all, because in that moment, his tongue was in her. It was swirling around and taking turns between flicking her clit and diving into her.

Korra had never experienced this type of pleasure and it was driving her mad. Her hips were thinking on their own and grinding against his face.

"More, more, _more_." She muttered to her self in tiny whispers. Her head was swimming through so much euphoria that she thought her neck would snap.

Her lips parted to make a raw cry as he inserted a finger into her. Her mind was going blank and he seemed to have sensed that her body was about to reach it's climax.

His tongue was aggressively sucking on her clit and he now used three fingers instead of one. Her body arched and she was digging into the leather as her orgasm washed over her in waves.

Tahno lapped up every one of her juices and even though she had already came, he continued to finger fuck her.

The pleasure was beginning to turn into torture. She was trying to inch away from him but his grasp on her thighs was too strong and she was weak.

Another orgasm came, but this time they weren't waves. It was a typhoon that made her collapse.

"You're the most beautiful mess I've seen, Korra." His voice in her ear.

That was the first time she'd heard him say her name and she loved it.

The last thing she remembered before blacking out were his soft and careful lips on hers.

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**(A/N: I just wanted to let you guys know that I am going to Philadelphia this Saturday at 7 P.M. Eastern Time. The place to which I'm going has no WiFi so that is why I gave you guys a double chapter with some nice smut. I will not be able to post anything for a week and while I am there, I don't think I'll have much time to write but I'll try.**

**I also wanted to say just one more thing. For all of you guys who have marked my story as a favorite, thank you! And same to those who have my story on alert. It really means a lot to me since I'm only a novice c: **

**Enjoy!) **


	4. The Moon

**(A/N: Guys I am SO sorry that I didn't put this chapter up weeks ago since it isn't even a long one but I've had terrible writers block and couldn't think of what to jot down, so after banging my head against a wall for 3 days straight, I finally thought of this c: Again so sorry and thanks for the kind words. I'm shocked at the amount of people who've taken a liking to my story.) **

"Where am I?" Korra murmured to herself as the smell of salt drifted through the air.

"What the hell?" She screamed as she pulled her knees up to her chest and sat up. Something wet had touched her toes … It was water. As she looked around she noticed that she was surrounded by ocean and it was inching it's way closer to her.

"Tahno? Tahno, where are you?" She was starting to panic. She water bended a path through the water and because her feelings were so overwhelmed with horror, she was making strong tidal waves without realizing it.

"Calm down, Korra. It's gonna be okay. Big breaths." Gulps of air filled her chest until her breathing was at a normal pace. As she waded through the water she had finally found him. There he was; His body motionless and still … too still.

"TAHNO." She raced towards him and uncovered his face from all of the seaweed. The focus she had on her waterbending had broken and the water came crashing down.

She was holding him and screamed out until her throat was raw and her vision blurred from the tears streaming down her face.

"No.. no no no. Why?" The water was splashing over her and she couldn't breath. She tried to keep a firm grip on Tahno but the waves pulled them apart and she sank lower and lower into the dark waters. Her lungs burned as the water passed her lips and made its way in.

Her eyes shot open as she gasped for air. He face was wet so she lifted a hand to it and noticed that the tears were real.

"A dream … Thank god it was just a dream." Korra looked over and noticed that Tahno wasn't there and jumped out of bed. She opened his bedroom door and froze with relief.

There he was sitting on his windowsill and staring out into the night sky but his gaze looked distant and then it focused on her.

"C'mere." He beckoned her with a flick of his wrist.

She effortlessly closed the gap between them in just a moments time and slid her lower body out of the window to sit next to him. Tahno's bedroom window was only a couple of feet off the ground so even if she were to fall, she'd be fine.

He slung an arm around her shoulders and brought her closer to him. Leaning in to her, he rested his cheek against hers and then pulled away rather abruptly to raise a hand to her face.

"Why were you crying?" He whispered as his thumb traced where her tears had stained her cheeks.

"Er- it was just a nightmare." She tried to force her lips into a smile but they quivered instead. He eyed her suspiciously but before he could question her about it she spoke again, "Well what are you doing out here so late?" She wasn't going to give him any answers about it. It was too soon for her feelings to be in this deep.

"I can still feel her." His voice was hollow. She was about to ask who he was referring to when she turned to look at what he was so focused on.

The moon. It was full tonight and not a single cloud in the sky.

"Oh." Her voice was so low that she was afraid he hadn't heard. Tahno hadn't spoken to her about Amon taking his bending away since he went to see that healer.

"Even though it's gone, I can still feel her pulling me to her. It makes me feel like he didn't take it away, but it's as if my chi points are blocked. It's so frustrating. " Even though Korra couldn't relate with him losing his bending, she knew exactly what he was feeling about the pull of the moon. On nights like this, when the moon was full and at it's strongest, it was as if the moons power diluted her blood, making it as thin as water so that it could travel through her veins faster. Even as the Avatar, the moon was still her number one source of power.

Before she thought it through she blurted out, "I'm sorry that I couldn't save you. It's all my fault." He opened his mouth to say something but she just held her hand up. "No. I don't want to hear it. I'm not trying to make you pity me but I could've stopped him from taking away your bending. I could've done something." She choked out that last sentence.

Tahno just stared at her with disbelief. "Korra, you know that's not true. Maybe now, you could've done something for me, for everyone, but then, there was nothing you _could _do. You're beating yourself over this because of your feelings for me."

"I don't want to talk about this anymore." Her words were colder then she had meant for them to be so she added in quickly "It's just I'm too tired to be sad right now. With everything going on, I don't want it to get to me."

He nodded and they just sat there for a while, staring up at the moon and holding each other. This was a moment that neither one of them had wanted to end so they savored every moment of it's pure innocence before they made their way back to his bedroom.

* * *

She awoke and noticed that the sun was slipping through the open blinds of the window. On another day, the room would've looked breathtakingly beautiful, but right now she couldn't stay to enjoy it. Even though it was Saturday, she had to go back to the Air Temple. She was already bound to be in trouble with Tenzin about not coming home.

A grin spread across her face and she let out a sound between a laugh and a sigh. She didn't care. It was all worth it. She sat up and started to put her chest wrappings back on when she felt his lips on the small of her back.

"Leaving so soon, _Uh-vatar_?" His lips trailed up to her shoulder, leaving goosebumps across the flesh which had been touched, until finally his mouth enclosed around hers. It was slow, and sweet, and was filled with the good-bye that neither of them had wanted to say.

When she had broke the kiss and finished with her wrappings, she got up to go to the living room to retrieve her clothes from the floor. "I'll try to come back later today. Since it's Saturday I won't have much to do except meditate but I'm pretty sure that Tenzin's going to be pissed about last night." Another strange giggle escaped her lips.

He came up from behind and hugged her, nipping at her earlobe. He finally let go and pushed her to the door when she was fully dressed. "Alright. If they won't let you come back before," He checked the time. It was 8 A.M, "I'll say 3 o'clock, I'll be coming down there myself."

Korra turned around so fast that she got whiplash. "We can't do what we're doing at the Air Temple! Are you crazy? Mako would have your head!" Her eyes were the size of ramen bowls until Tahno had explained that he was just going there to visit her as a friend. "Oh," her face was flushed with crimson, "Okay." He kissed her on the lips softly and then ushered her through the front door. "Have a good day, Korra." When he said her name it sent chills through her. She loved the way he said her name. It sounded right.

* * *

"IF YOU WEREN'T THE REINCARNATION OF MY FATHER, I WOULD HAVE YOUR BACKSIDE MOUNTED ON THE WALL!" "That was _completely _irresponsible of you." "We were all so worried, Korra! How could you do this to us?" Tenzin's screams still rang in her ears even though it was an hour after he had scolded her.

When she got back, everyone's eyes were bloodshot and when she told Tenzin that she had spent the night at Tahno's house, the vein in his temple seemed to have been on the verge of rupturing, "You slept, _where_?" He had repeated. As if she had said it again, the name or place would change. "Tahno's. Look, I'm of age to do whatever I'd like. I know I should have came back or atleast called but it's not like I planned to spend the night there!" Which was true. She thought that she was going to leave right afterwards. "I know that doesn't excuse me from my actions but I'm not a baby and don't need to check-in as much as you guys say I should. I can take care of myself." She felt Lin's firm iron grip upon her shoulder.

"Korra's right. She can take care of herself so you guys have to put your trust in her to make sure she'll do the right thing next time." Korra knew that she wasn't exactly Lin's favorite person but this meant a lot coming from the most independent woman she'd ever known. "Next time? … NEXT TIME?" Uh-oh. Lin must have struck a nerve. "Korra. I think it's time we uh, had a talk." His face was a deep crimson and the contrast between it and the arrows on his skull was alarming. "Oh my _spirits_, Tenzin, no. I know you're trying to give me the sex talk but Katara already beat you to it. And just for the record, I still haven't had sex with him yet, so if you excuse me, I'll be going into the kitchen to get something to eat." And with that, she excused her self from their prying eyes and walked away rather embarrassed.

* * *

After eating breakfast, Tenzin seemed to have calmed down so he knocked on her door shortly after she entered it. "Come in."

"Korra, I'm sorry for overreacting earlier. It's just that with Amon running on the loose, I was beyond worried. I know that now we don't have to worry about Tarrlock being an issue since Amon captured him and has probably taken away his bending, but that makes things even scarier because he was an exceptional blood bender. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?" She nodded her head and whispered "Yeah, I do understand. I really do. I didn't mean to be so stupid last night but I just ended up falling asleep. I'm sorry Tenzin."

When Tenzin had left, Pema entered the room a took a seat next to Korra on her bed. "You know he cares about you, right? He forgets that he was a kid, too. Of course, there was no masked monster back in his days when he ran off to see Lin, but non the less, you're still going to act like a kid because if you keep acting so brave and strong and untouchable, you're going to break. I understand that you need your moments to keep you sane so if you could do me just one favor, ask Tahno to come over to dinner tonight. Tenzin's excused you from meditation today to go ask him and you can stay there until dinners ready which will be around 7." Korra stared up at her incredulously. "Pema-" but she cut her off "No objections. Bring him to dinner." She kissed Korra on her forehead and left, closing the door behind her.

"_Gaah. Now I have to bring my maybe boyfriend to dinner." _She thought to her self. Was he her boyfriend? What exactly were they? Well, there was only one way to find out and banging her head on the wall certainly wasn't it.


	5. Pretty Boy

**(A/N: *Headdesk times infinity.* This chapter sucks. Asdahdhfj. o.e I hope you guys like it though. Oh, P.S I had my friend read this and she said she wasn't sure if this was AU or not. Incase any of you guys were wondering, I'm sort of keeping it along the lines of the actual show, but some parts will be AU.)**

"_Ahhhhughhhghscbhifg. I really just don't wanna do this. It's too soon. Way too soon. I mean, we aren't even a thing, really. I need to talk to him. Hopefully he doesn't say no because Pema can get pretty grouchy." _

Her thoughts were scattered all over the place and she kept spacing out. "Well, I'm gonna have to do this sooner or later." The words were said with a distinct sigh and she walked out of her room, feeling like a deflated balloon. She was now regretting staying the night at Tahno's house.

* * *

The ferry was always too slow for her liking so she used her bending for miniscule tasks such as waterbending her way across the lake. She had started her form when she heard his footsteps. She knew it was him before she turned around because he always walked like that around her now. Soft and light, as if treading too heavily would cause her to snap at him. He was on eggshells when near her and she took great satisfaction in that.

"What is it, Mako?" She turned to face him while crossing her arms. "I've got somewhere to be right now."

"You're going to Tahno's place, aren't you?" It was just a whisper so she couldn't really hear all of what he said except for the bitter tone when he spat out Tahno's name. This took her aback. She didn't want to yell at him. She was tired of having to explain herself to Mako.

"Look, Mako … This is better for us. I know you were torn between Asami and I, but now that I've got Tahno, or well I think I do, it should be easier for you now, ya'know? Asami's a sweet," snobby bitch was what she was actually had in mind. This thought caused her to suppress a snort. "who didn't deserve what we were doing behind her back. Nobody deserves that." That was true. She might be a spoiled princess but no one, despite how arrogant they are, deserves to be cheated on.

"But it's Tahno! Tahno of all people! He doesn't even have his bending anymore so what's the damn appeal?"

This sparked a fire in her. A fire that consumed her with rage. "Just because he doesn't have his bending doesn't make him any less of a person, Mako! How dare you think lesser of him because of that! That's so _fucked_ up. This is why we'll never work out, Mako. We don't have the same ideals in mind and I don't feel like putting forth the extra effort to deal with you!" She had to catch her breath. She hadn't realized that she had said all of that in just one breath. "I'm going to go get Tahno. Pema wants him over for dinner so fucking behave or so help me Tui and La, I'll tell Asami." Her voice was cold and spiteful but she didn't care. If he was going to act like this, than he doesn't deserve anyone to be there for him. He should be grateful.

* * *

Because she wasn't completely focused on her water bending, she got a little soaked when the water crashed behind her as she walked across the lake. She flicked her wrists and the water easily made it's way out of her clothing.

"That's better." She started for the hour long walk into the country when she saw him coming out of the Noodlery. He spotted her bright blue water tribe clothing and sauntered over to her with a crooked smile.

"I see that the Air nomads let you come and play." His voice was filled with it's usual sarcasm but his eyes had an odd spark of pure bliss to them.

"Yeah, about that. We need to talk about something." He winced at her words and they just stood there for a moments time.

"You regret last night, don't you?" His words cut the silence like a sharp blade.

"No!" Her eyes wide at the assumption, "Haha, oh my spirits, no Tahno. Last night was amazing." He visibly calmed down and sucked in a gulp of air. "I regret staying the night though. Only because Tenzin scolded me for hours in front of everybody. Even the White Lotus guards were sniggering every time I walked by." She shook her head ruefully. "But that's not even the worst part. Pema, Tenzin's wife, is inviting you to dinner tonight. It's at 7." She expected him to cringe some more, or say no. Anything except for what he actually said.

"Wow, really? Well that's neat. I'm glad that they're giving me a chance." He let out a lighthearted chuckle.

"_He's so different when he's genuinely happy..." _She drifted off into subspace and crashed back to earth. Hard_. "Wait, does this mean we're a couple. I'm so confused." _

Tahno looked over towards her and saw that she was deep in thought. Her brow furrowed in concentration and her jaw slack. She was about to speak when he cut her off. "I know you've probably got some questions for me, but just wait till we get back to my place okay?" His voice wasn't stern, but it had an air of finality in it so she didn't push it.

The rest of their walk was quiet. She leaned into Tahno's side, her eyes closed and her breathing easy.

* * *

She walked past the threshold of his home and made herself comfortable on the loveseat. She coud have sworn that it had a faint yet distinct smell of sweat and lust- "Are you thirsty or anything?" She snapped out of her subconscious yet again. "A glass of water, please." She hadn't realized how dry her mouth had gone.

"Here'ya go." He passed her a gray ceramic mug and sat down beside her. She took sips of her water and noticed that they were acting like strangers. Like as if they were just friends. As if the smell of last night wasn't radiating from the very couch they were sitting on.

"I assume that you have some questions for me." He peered at her with tentative eyes. She was staring into her mug. She was bending the water so that it spun in the glass. Without stopping to stare up at him she asked, "What are we, Tahno?" the water was beginning to tremble. She was scared of his answer. "I don't understand your question. Be clear, _Uh-vatar_." His voice was firm and curt.

"Was last night just a one time thing or are we…" She didn't finish the sentence. She didn't know _how _to finish it without sounding like a scared little girl.

"Or are we _what_?" What was he playing at? She knew damn well that he understood her question. "Do I need to spell it out for you, Tahno? You know what I'm asking here. I know you do!" Her voice was shaking and her eyes were searching for something in his. She needed to find some kind of emotion in them but all she could find was an empty, blank stare piercing through her.

He let out a sigh. "You and I both know that last night wasn't a one night stand. But, I wish it had been, Korra." She jerked her head to look back at the mug but he gripped her chin and forced her to look at him. "I'm not good for you. Last night shouldn't have even happened. You need to find Amon, not sneak out of the house to come see me. If something were to happen to you … I don't have my bending. I wouldn't be able to protect you or fight for you or-" "Bullshit!" She cut him off. Why was he saying these things? She stood up and started to shout at him.

"I've seen your hand-to-hand combat and you've got better skills then Amon's chi blockers! Stop being self deprecating, dammit! So what if you don't have your bending? That doesn't matter! IT DOESN'T MATTER AT ALL." Tears were welling up in her eyes. She didn't want him to see her crying so she stormed over to his kitchen and slammed the mug down onto the counter, causing it's contents to splash out of the cup.

It was quiet again. She kept her gaze locked onto the water that managed to spill onto the counter. It was him that broke the silence again.

"Korra. I'm good at hand-to-hand combat, yes. But how far can that get me before multiple chi blockers gang up on me and electrocute me? I may be agile and strong, but I can't fight off electricity. Be reasonable. I can only do so much." He was behind her and in a flash, she turned around and slapped him hard in the face, her palm stinging.

"Then you do what you can. I'm not asking you to be a superhero and to never tire out. I'm asking you to do your best because your best is all you _can _do." She was shouting again and the tears were coming hard.

Seeing Korra like this hurt Tahno. It was as if all of the strings inside him broke. He made her cry. He didn't know what to do so he just hugged her and kissed the top of her head. She tried to push him away but he kept his arms locked around her shoulders. "No." He whispered into her ear, "No, Korra. I'm sorry for hurting you. If you want to continue with this, with _us, _then I won't stop you. I want there to be an us. I just .. I thought I would just be in the way."

"I care about you Tahno. I really do. Despite all of the crap the team's been giving me, I want to be able to say "I love you" one day. I want to prove them wrong." She pulled on the hem of his collar and kissed him deeply. The warmth of her mouth engulfed his, making him swell with happiness. This kiss wasn't lustful or rushed. It was warm and sweet.

She slinked her arms around his neck and squished herself deeper into him. She didn't want any space between. The space was too cold for her to handle. Tahno started to hum, crooning a light tune that made her feel sleepy. _"No. This isn't smart." _she thought. "Hey, Tahno." her voice soft. "Hmm?" He seemed to be feeling sleepy as well ."Pema said that we could stay here until dinner but I think it would be a better idea if we left now. Ya'know, so you have a better first impression." She finally looked up from resting her cheek on his chest, and immediately all of the warmth left it. His house was so cold. Why? "That's a good idea, _Uh-vatar_. If we would choose to stay here, things might lead to certain situations. He leaned in and nipped the shell of her ear.

Her face flushed crimson and she cleared her throat before speaking. "Well then, we better get going." She started for the door and opened it. The outside breeze was chilly but distinctively warmer then his house. The sun was still shining brightly. As soon as her foot touched the ground, she felt Tahno's hand enclose around hers. She looked back at him but his gaze was directed in front of himself. "I didn't know you were the type to show affection, pretty boy." He smirked at her and shrugged. "You're hand just looked lonely." She really did like Tahno and was happy that she was able to catch glimpses of his true self. "_I wonder who or what's deep under your skin. Who are you really?"_


	6. The Ferry

The walk back into the city seemed shorter than usual. Maybe it was because her and Tahno were actually having a conversation to fill up the time.

"…and then Sokka said "Yeah, well my girlfriend turned into the moon." They were in hysterical fits of laughter. "Oh wow, as sad as that is, it's still pretty funny. Katara's brother might be my favorite." Tahno practically had tears in his eyes from laughing so hard.

"Right? Master Katara always had the best stories about the Gaang. The ones about her brother and Toph were probably the best. I mean-" Before she could finish Tahno stopped walking and cut her off. "Korra, why are we going towards the ferry?" He was confused. "Oh, uhm-" He cut her off again. "Why aren't you just waterbending us across the lake?" He looked really annoyed. "I just thought that .." She took in a big breath of air, trying to stall as much as she could. "I thought it'd be rude to waterbend in front of you." She choked out in a hoarse whisper. "Korra, don't pity me. You said it yourself. I'm a big boy and I can take care of myself so please don't treat me like I'm some sort of kicked puppy." His voice lightened towards the end of his sentence and before things could take a turn for the worse, she grabbed his hand and ran towards the lake.

* * *

"Uh, Korra are you sure this is safe?" His whole body was shaking. He hated not being able to compose himself but he'd never really gone ice skating before so this new experience made him completely vulnerable.

"Just relax yourself because keeping your body this stiff is going to make you slip." She was behind Tahno, her hands resting on his shoulders so she could push him on the ice. "You just need to glide and trust the waters."

"Korra, no. I don't like this. Can you please just waterbend us across the lake? I hate this-" he slipped face first onto the ice. This caused Korra to slip on top of his back, "-ice." She was trying so hard not to laugh at him but failed miserably. It wasn't long before his embarrassment subsided into laughter as well.

Minutes after they both calmed down and settled onto the ice, Korra broke the silence. "So did you never just get the hang of ice skating or what?" She was laying on her stomach next to him now, her elbows propped up onto the ice and hear head in her palms.

"Well, when you live the majority of your life in the swamp, you don't really have the pleasure of having much ice." He said matter-of-factly. "Wait, you're from the swamps?" She asked ludicrously. "I mean, I just figured you were from the North Pole. You have that .. Not to be mean or anything Tahno, but you have a very heavy snobbish quality to you." He didn't react to her words with anger, in fact he took it as a compliment. "Well, it's sort of a long story. Maybe I'll tell you about my upbringing later tonight?" He scooted closer to her and kissed her on the nose, which happened to be very red and very cold. "Can we go now? Since I don't wear animal pelts like you do, my ass is going numb." He got up to his feet and pulled her up. Her face was now bearing a mischievous grin and he noticed a basketball sized fire between her hands. "You want me to toast it up for'ya?"

* * *

"I can't believe you threw a fireball at my ASS, Korra." His voice bitter but his eyes showed joy. He had fun, no matter how much he whined. "I mean, this was a nice coat." Indeed it was a nice coat but now it had dark scorch marks on it's back. "I'm sorry, Tahno! I was only going to throw it and then make it die out before it even touched you. If anything, it's your fault for having such a fine butt." She screwed up her face into a big, gushy pout. "Can you not talk about my butt like that, I mean, gosh Korra I know I'm fabulous but you must contain yourself!" He lifted his right arm to his forehead and sighed dramatically.

They're probably one of the oddest couples ever. They even seem like polar opposites but no one knows who they are deep down. Not even themselves. Maybe they're more in common then anybody could bother to imagine…

* * *

Tahno was wearing a deep purple, button down dress shirt, with it's sleeves collared at his elbows. He married the shirt off with his tan slacks and dark brown leather boots. It was simple and nothing too flashy.

"So do you want to meet everyone now or do you want a tour of the place and wait until dinner. ?" She stopped walking and turned to face him, waiting for her answer. "Well, I think it'd be better to meet them now." He glanced at his watch. " It's already 6:30 so we should probably get inside anyway."

They walked through the Air Temple doors and a rich smell blanketed the air. "It smells like Pema made ginger spiced duck with orange." They breathed the air in deeply. The smell was just so heavy and delicious. "Oh, I hope that you like duck! I didn't even ask you if you were allergic to anything or couldn't tolerate a certain dish." Her voice was rising with panic. He gripped her shoulders and stared her in the eyes "Korra, breathe. I'm not allergic to anything so it's okay. Just calm down."

She closed her eyes and did her breathing exercises from Air Bending training. _"In for 4 and out for 10. In for 4 and out for 10." _Once she snapped back to earth, she took off her pelt and took Tahno's jacket. "I'm gonna go put these in my room, okay? Stay here, I'll be right back." So she ran off and kept to her promise because she was back in less then a minute.

She looped her arm in his, "You ready?" It was Tahno who asked Korra this. Of course, he was nervous but it was Korra who was terrified. With the slight jerk of her head, they pushed through the dinning room doors together to face the group.

* * *

"Tenzin, they're here!" Pema clapped her hands together with satisfaction. She walked up to Tahno and pulled him into a hug. "Thank you for coming over on such short notice!" Pema looked absolutely flawless. As if she having to care for 3 troublesome kids hadn't phased her in the least. She was dressed in her Air nomad attire, same for Tenzin and the kids. Katara was wearing her water tribe robes but instead of bearing her mothers necklace, she wore the one that Aang had carved for her. There was an intricate design of a penguin on a blue dyed wooden disk strung with beads different shades of turquoise .* Tenzin said that she hadn't worn it since he passed away so Korra had never seen it on her. It was beautiful. The amount of detail shown hours of craftsmanship.

"_Aang, you sure are smooth with the ladies." _As she thought that she chuckled to herself. Even though everyone stared at her with slight bafflement, it eased the tension within her tremendously.

"Well let's not stand here like awkward turtle-ducks, go take a seat at the table. I'll be out to serve dinner in about 20 minutes." and with that, Pema made her way to the kitchen, leaving them to fend for themselves within a group of people who were disappointed in her choice.

Pema and Tenzin always sat at the ends of the table across from each other. On one side of the table, the kids sat in a row closest to Tenzin's end, starting with Jinora, Ikki, and then Meelo. Next to Meelo was Asami and then Mako, who sat closest to the other side of the table sat Katara, who was near Pema, two empty seats, leaving Bolin and Chief Beifong near Tenzin.

They walked over to the empty seat, Korra taking the one next to Katara, and waited. The only people seated besides themselves were Katara, Tenzin, Lin, Bolin, Ikki and Meelo. Katara was looking very solemn but when Korra tried to talk to her, she said she was fine. Tenzin, Lin, and Bolin were talking about strategy and politics. They were always on alert and trying to find ways to outsmart Amon. Ikki and Meelo were talking about leaves. They were really weird.

"So, Tahno, why are you interested in Korra?" Katara who had been helping herself to some Cactus juice spluttered it out of her mouth. Korra's face had gone stark white while Tahno's sharp edges seemed to soften a bit. _"How was he so relaxed!?" _

"Tenzin, don't you think you're being a little too blunt for-" Katara chided. "No, no. It's fine. Being head on is always a good skill." Tahno interrupted, "Well, ever since we met at the arena, I knew she was strong. Confidence just radiated from within her and I envied her for that. She seemed genuinely humble and modest but when it came down to it, she sure knew how to throw a punch." He locked eyes with Korra and the memory of when she water whipped Tahno off of the platform crept into her brain. Her cheeks flushed and she looked towards the table to calm her nerves.

Tenzin wasn't prepared for him to have such a bold and honest answer. Nor had Bolin, but Lin and Katara glanced at each other and nodded their heads in respect.

"Wow. You got a nod from Katara _and _Lin. That's really hard to do since one, they never really seem to agree on anything and 2, they rarely give anyone respect that easily." Korra whispered to Tahno. Hearing her words must have boosted his confidence because from that point onward, he sat to his full height with his chin raised. He didn't look cocky or stuck up, but as if he were honored to be in Korra's presence.

* * *

Dinner went smoothly. Well about as smooth as it could have been with Mako sulking next to Asami. They both looked pretty tense and on edge. Mako kept looking at Bolin with a glazed look in his eyes, like as if there were a thin veil over his field of vision keeping him from seeing clearly.

Pema started chatting with Tahno about small things that Korra found interesting but didn't really care for. Like, where he bought his clothes because "It was just so rare to find a young boy who doesn't dress odd these days" and how his skin was so clear but her ears perked up as soon as she questioned him about his bloodline.

"So, Tahno, which water tribe are you from?" Pema asked without the slightest hesitation but I saw something change about Tahno's features. He still looked relaxed and composed but his eyes, oh his eyes, just seemed to be searching for a way out of the question.

He released a deep sigh through his lips, _"Had he been holding his breath?" _she thought to herself, and answered.

"I'm a mix between the Northern Water Tribe and the Swamp Tribe." he said, and everyone just seemed to stare at him with disbelief. Everyone was quiet and didn't really know what to say. Tahno seemed all Northern so to have something like Swamp blood was a bit of a twist.

Katara spoke up after a rather awkward pause, "Oh well that's a really neat mix. Northern Water Tribe people usually only stay with their own because they don't want to "spoil the blood." They believe that class is everything. Which parent is which, if you don't mind me asking?" she asked while eating the last of her duck.

"My mom was Northern and my dad was Swamp. I grew up mostly with my dad though." He said with a forced smile. Korra could tell that he really didn't like this topic so she was beyond relieve when Asami pushed herself away from the table and ran off towards the bathroom. "Excu-" Was all she was able to get out with gagging. Mako looked like he was about to crumble to pieces but he straightened his spine and went off afterwards. But, before leaving he said "Thanks for the dinner Pema, it was as good as always but I need to go make sure Asami's okay. Tahno, it was nice to meet you. G'night everybody."

* * *

Nobody really knew what had just happened but dinner was clearly over so after the kids went off to bed and Lin had left, they decided to leave as well.

They said their goodbyes to Pema and Tenzin, thanking them for the good food, and made way back to Tahno's.

**(A/N *I read a short fluff on tumblr one day where it said that, instead of giving Katara a necklace carved out of ice/glass to propose, he gave her a wooden one from his element. I thought it was really cute so I used it and tweaked some things about it but in a nut shell, the whole belongs to someone out there. I don't remember who wrote it so if you guys know, please tell me so I can give them proper credit. Thank you! xo**

**P.S. Sorry for the wait o.e I just haven't been getting into the story much anymore. I'm sorry. )**


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